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Stand Up!: The Story of Minnesota’s Protest Tradition
When the senatorial election of 2008 between Democrat Al Franken and Republican Norm Coleman stretched on for a contentious six months, people throughout the country wondered about Minnesota's offbeat politics. But Minnesota has been and is now a seedbed for cultural and political movements that have changed the country, and its history weaves a pattern of wide opposition between left and right.
In this broad and readable narrative, eminent Minnesota historian Rhoda R . Gilman covers the major protest movements of the last 150 the abolitionist Republican party, Grangers, antimonopolists, Populists, strikers, progressives, suffragists, Communists, Farmer-Laborites, communes and co-ops, abortion politics, and more. She profiles charismatic and quirky leaders like Ignatius Donnelly, Floyd B. Olson, and Paul Wellstone. Each movement, each personality, is part of the context for the others.
Stand Up! tells a story of people repeatedly challenging the status quo. It is a narrative of people against power, of conflict and defeat, but also of change and tenacity. In a forceful and inspirational conclusion, Gilman discusses the events that she herself has helped to shape and shares her vision of the future.
In this broad and readable narrative, eminent Minnesota historian Rhoda R . Gilman covers the major protest movements of the last 150 the abolitionist Republican party, Grangers, antimonopolists, Populists, strikers, progressives, suffragists, Communists, Farmer-Laborites, communes and co-ops, abortion politics, and more. She profiles charismatic and quirky leaders like Ignatius Donnelly, Floyd B. Olson, and Paul Wellstone. Each movement, each personality, is part of the context for the others.
Stand Up! tells a story of people repeatedly challenging the status quo. It is a narrative of people against power, of conflict and defeat, but also of change and tenacity. In a forceful and inspirational conclusion, Gilman discusses the events that she herself has helped to shape and shares her vision of the future.
176 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2012
53 people want to read
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July 6, 2020Every now and then the librarians at my site will send out a mass e-mail with answers to a particularly interesting reference question they received. These can range from fun facts about the city to various resources and book recommendation. It was one of those e-mails that brought Stand Up! to my attention. As someone who lives in Minnesota and is highly interested in social justice, I was really eager to read this book. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite what I wanted.
The book has a natural beginning at the formation of Minnesota as a territory, when settlers began claiming land for themselves. While the book acknowledges the atrocities committed to the Native Americans already living on the land, there is still more focus on settlers protesting against the government to allow them statehood and security as they began their farms. This sets the tone for the rest of the book, which mostly describes the struggles of white, working-class men, with a few interludes to talk about abolition and suffrage.
This is not necessarily a fault of the author; after all, history may not have given her enough to make into a 150 year long narrative. However, I was hoping for more that focused on other marginalized groups and their political advocacy. As the book is written, it makes it seem that those groups didn’t contribute to the political climate and subsequent change. Although I’m not a huge history buff, this doesn’t seem right to me, especially considering how often erasure of these voices occur in history. Of course, the author is a white woman, so maybe it’s best that these stories are told by representatives from that group (which is a discussion for another book report).
Although political protest isn’t something we can engage in on AmeriCorps time, I believe understanding the historical context is still important for our service. Protesting is a powerful tool for civilians, and is responsible for a lot of change. Given that our work is often with individuals who promote and benefit from those changes and protesting, having that knowledge can help us better approach problems and offer the appropriate resources and support. I think this is especially important this year in such a tense political climate. That being said, I think there might be better books out there to accomplish that goal, ones that are more modern and features voices not usually heard. Stand Up! is more appropriate for history buffs looking for a quick read about a (admittedly interesting) part of Minnesota history. Personally, I’m looking ahead to my next book club selection, which hopefully fits my criteria a little more.
The book has a natural beginning at the formation of Minnesota as a territory, when settlers began claiming land for themselves. While the book acknowledges the atrocities committed to the Native Americans already living on the land, there is still more focus on settlers protesting against the government to allow them statehood and security as they began their farms. This sets the tone for the rest of the book, which mostly describes the struggles of white, working-class men, with a few interludes to talk about abolition and suffrage.
This is not necessarily a fault of the author; after all, history may not have given her enough to make into a 150 year long narrative. However, I was hoping for more that focused on other marginalized groups and their political advocacy. As the book is written, it makes it seem that those groups didn’t contribute to the political climate and subsequent change. Although I’m not a huge history buff, this doesn’t seem right to me, especially considering how often erasure of these voices occur in history. Of course, the author is a white woman, so maybe it’s best that these stories are told by representatives from that group (which is a discussion for another book report).
Although political protest isn’t something we can engage in on AmeriCorps time, I believe understanding the historical context is still important for our service. Protesting is a powerful tool for civilians, and is responsible for a lot of change. Given that our work is often with individuals who promote and benefit from those changes and protesting, having that knowledge can help us better approach problems and offer the appropriate resources and support. I think this is especially important this year in such a tense political climate. That being said, I think there might be better books out there to accomplish that goal, ones that are more modern and features voices not usually heard. Stand Up! is more appropriate for history buffs looking for a quick read about a (admittedly interesting) part of Minnesota history. Personally, I’m looking ahead to my next book club selection, which hopefully fits my criteria a little more.
December 29, 2023
There was very little focus on marginalized groups in Minnesota. I did appreciate that the book started with MN becoming a state. It couldve gone into some other areas of protest in MN instead of focusing so much on governors.
September 13, 2012
Interesting book, but not engaging enough for me to read it carefully. As one who chose to live in Minnesota beginning in 1968, and married a Minnesotan who is an amateur historian, I knew most of what the author presented. She does provide an excellent bibliography and does say from the start that she does not intend to go into depth, her intent being to give an overview of Minnesota's political protest tradition.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews